Cuba has opened 35 Wi-Fi access points nationwide, offering unprecedented online access in a country that until now has restricted use of the Internet to an elite few.
"It was high time for Cuba to be able to connect. Everyone has the right to Internet," said Alejandro Costa, who used the Wi-Fi on Thursday. The service was available to those who had previously established an account with state telecoms monopoly Etecsa.
At a Havana street known as La Rampa, Cubans brought out smartphones new and old, whether purchased in state stores, on the black market, or received as gifts from friends and relatives abroad. They mainly browsed Facebook.
The Cuban government also slashed prices from $4.50 to $2 an hour, still exorbitant for Cubans, who typically earn a monthly salary of about $20.
For Fidel Croswell, a 50-year-old taxi driver from Havana, the new Wi-Fi network means no longer standing in lines at state Internet parlors.
"But the ultimate solution would really be home Wi-Fi, where you can connect while sitting around shirtless in your flip-flops," he said.
